Adjustable support for stationary shafts



Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,750

s. B. REDFIELD I ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR STATIONARY SHAFTS Filed June 25, 1927 Jnozg euBRafzel Patented, Oct. 30, 1928'.

i STATES TE T! OF CEe i suo'wnan B: mammor new B nN YW-AN As mama-w.

COMBANX, F massacres; JEBSEX; c ar mmn ERSEY- c es sseam 1 2mm. ai wsslerelw ums! hpplication flled me 25, 1e27fs ria 110,391,521.

s This invention relates to} supports for shafts and the like -but more particularly; to anadjustables 1 port for shafts of the type commonly'provi ed for idler pull'eysin which the pulley is adapted to rotatefreelyfonthe sh f " One object ofthe invention. is to enable an idler pulley to be adjusted to the most suitable position with respect to thebelt on which it bears, thus assuring against creeping of the belt on itspulleys.

Other objects will appe ar hereinafter, and toall' of these ends the invention consists of the features of construction and arrangeinent ofparts having thegeneral mode of op eration substantially as hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated" in the accompanying drawings, in a Figure 1 is a side elevation of amotor and a compressor having theinvention applied Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the idler pulley and support'taken through Figure 1 cated by the arrows, and I "Figures 3, 4, '5, and are transverseviews taken: through Figure 2'on the linev33 "on the line 2 2 looking in the direction indilooking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and illustrating a few of the positions whic'hthe shaftbushingsmay assume for the Y purpose of adjusting the position ofth'e idler pulley with respect to the belt;

Referring to the drawings and at first'more particularly to Figure 1, A designates 'a motor seated on a foundation B to. which it may be secured" in. any convenient and well known manner; is a compressor i also mountedon afou'ndationD, and the motor A and thecompressorG are provided with the usual pulleys and F respectively on. I which is disposed a belt G for transmitting the power ofthe" motor to the compressor.

As will be observed, the motorA and the compressor (1* are so-spaced with respect to each'iother that only a shortbelt will be required and, as is customaryzi n'the case-of short belt drives, an idler pulley His dis-V posed to bear on the slack sideJ of thebelt G "for the purpose of insuring a suitable area of contact between the belt and the pulleys.

times be applied'to the belt.

pressed into the pulley H to rovide a renewnut V screwed on a threaded the shaft 0 holdsthe' pulley H on the-shaft 0;.

' the bore Q'inthe bearing. K'is'of considerably flared {mi coniform portions 0.

' longitudinal ares of the "apertures 71 will devided with a flange fhaving a spherical end Thevi'dler p lley H in this instance is at; tachedto an arrnj'or 'bearing K preferably pivoted to; the-compressor- C as at L sov that the full we ght of the idlenpulleymaylat all a '55 The idler-pulleyI-I maybe of any well known type'and in thisinstance rotates freely on a shaft'O having a reduced portio n P which extends into a-bore' Q in'the free end of the .bearin K. Preferably, a sleeve R is able bearing surface for the ld'ler pulley. A portion U of In accordance with the presentinvention,

larger diameter than the reduced portion P of the shaft 0am in the ends ofthe bore Q are disposed bushings Y and Z having apertures b terminating at theirouter ends in p I The apeftures'b are in this instance located eccentrically' in the bushings Yand Z so that when the bushings are rotated in the bore Q, the 1 I scribe a circle. about the longitudinal axis of the bore Q in-which the bushings are disposed.

Inorder to limit'the distance which thebushingsY and Z may extend into the bore Q, said bushings are provided with flanges d at theirouter ends which'bear against-the sides of the bearing K andin'eac'h flanged is'form'ed a notch e for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter.

To theend that the [shaftO may assume a position oblique to the longitudinal axis'of the bore Q, whenever the bushings Y 'andjZ are rotated in said'bore,'th'e shaft Oiis probushings Y and Z. In the presentinstance thisis accomplished by a nut is screwed on the end of the reduced portion P WlllCh is threaded for this purpose.

I In order that the bushings Y and Z may be clamped firmly in position in the bearing K, the end of the bearing is splitralonga plane extending through the longitudinal axis of the bore and'bolts 0 disposed transversely through the end of the bearing a K serve'to contract the bearing firmly against the bushings Y and Z. 'In the present instance, additional means are provided for securing the bushings Y and Z in the bore Q. These means comprise set screwsp screwed in '7 the bearing K toseat in external. annular grooves i inthe bushings Y and Z. ,FIJAS is wellknow'npone diflic-ulty; incident to the installationof machinery, such aswhere a machineis intended to bedriven by a separate :prime mover, is that of so aligning the machines that the axes of the pulleys of the prime mover and the machine intended to be actuatedthereby will be substantially parallel to each other.. While satisfactory results may, of course, be obtained, the time required I and the consequent expense of so aligning the machine adds greatly to the cost of installation. Even when the utmost care is exercised .in. placing the machines, it frequently happens that the shafts on which the pulleys are disposed are slightly oblique with respect to each other and, during the operation ofthe machines, the belt will tend to creep on the pulleys thus at times rendering it difiicult to maintainthebelt on the pulleys. I The present invention aims to eliminate these shortcom- 'ingsand; due'to the adjustable feature herein described, will enable the idler pulley H to be adjusted to themost suitable position with resvect tothe position of the belt. The idler pulley H may be adjusted to any angle or coma bination of angles Within the range of the means provided.

In order to obtain a full and clear understan'ding of how these adjustments may he brought about. reference may be had toFigures 3 to 6 inclusive, in which Figure '3 illus- 't-rates the position of the bushings Y and Z "whenever" it is'fdes'ired to deflect-the shaft 0 in a; horizontalplane without inclining it in a'vertical-dir'ect-ion. This may bereadily accompli'sh'ed unscrewing both the bolts 0' and the set screws ya so that the bushings will be j freely rotatable. The bushing-Y may then be rotatedih one direction for a" distance of-90 as shown-'inFigureZthis being the maximum -distan'ce which the aperture-"b in thehushing "may be movedf'rom the longitudinal axisof the bore, and-the bushing Z may be rotated in anfopposite direction a similar distance. In thisway the shaft 0 may. be inclined from the longitudinal axis of thebo're Q o that when- I "ever the b'eltGtendstoinclinefromthe'desired directiongthe pulley may be readily adjusted to suit this condition.

Whenever it is desired to effect a vertical adjustment of the shaft O, the' bushings Y and Z may be adjusted as illustrated in Figure 4. In this instance the bushing Y is rotated so that its slot 6 is located above the horizontaland the bushingZ is rotated a similar distance in the opposite, direction; By adjusting the bushings to these positions ,the

shaft \villbetilted in a vertical direction with out deflecting it ina horizontal plane. 7 In Figure-5 is illustratedanother position to which the shaft 0' may beinclined in a horizontal direction; In this figureiboththe bushingsY and Z1are rotated in" opposite vdirections' so that j the slotse in saidjbushings will lie an equal ,distancefrom the vertical central-plane; V-

In the position (if the'bushings and Z as illustrated in FigurePG, the slots '6 in both 8 bushings .will lie i-n the same longitudinal plane. This'may the position ofthe bushbore Q, in the bearing K.

From the'foregoing; it will be observed'that the slots 0 in the'bushings Y and Z serve as indices for seating the bushingswith respect to a given point asfor instancepthe slot in=the bearing K, or'any other convenient point.

moved an equaldistance'in opposite direc-' tions fromthe indicator; 7 However a certain adjustment of the shaft 0 mav be obtained- "by permitting one hushi'ng,-either Y or Z, 11

to remain stationary'in the bore Q androtate the other bushing onlvif {It/ Will be." readily ingswere -manipulated: as previously de- SCI'1bed.-' 4

After ale-Shea o hi bea; aaaa da the desired position, the bolts '0 and the set screws,

1) maybe screwed tightlyinfposition tohold no the bushing firmly in the bearing K. There after the nut 70 may be screwed on the reduced portion P of the shaftOto force the spherical surface g of-the flange ffirmly againstthe bushing Z and also the washer It-tightly against bushing Y; Byapplvingthe necessarv'pressureto the nut is, vthe washer h will be caused to exe'rt-a elampingjefiect'on v v the reduced portion P of. the shaft O toassist in holdinglthesaid Ielaim-zi r Inicombina-tion, a; splitbearing having a a bore therethrough,ia shaftextending with one" end into thebore,-a flange onthe shaft having .ings whenever conditions vpermit the shaft to 5; lie parallel with the longitudinal axis: of the Preferably; thefbu'shings are atall times seen that a lesser inclination of the 's'haftO' will bebbtziinedbvbhl-v manipulating one' bushing ithan would be the case if both bush- 1 shaft, rigidly in position.

eentrically disposed apertures to receive the shaft, the outer ends of-the' apertures being flared to cooperate with the spherical surfaces of the flanges and the washer, said bushings being adapted to be rotated in opposite direct-ions for tilting the shaft with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bore, bolts clamping the bearing on the bushings, and

a nut on the shaft bearing against the washer to clamp said Washer to the shaft and to hold 10 the flange and washer in engagement with the bushings. i

In testimony whereof I have signed'this specification. r

SN OWDEN B. REDFIELD 

